This is the first day of August, but will a change in the month bring a change in the weather? Despite a largely promising weekend, the weather looks likely to return to a familiar pattern next week with rain and high winds across the northwest thanks to a warm, humid weather system swept up from Florida. However, the south remains drier and warm, with the driest and warmest conditions being in the southeast.
The outlook for the rest of August looks like much the same pattern — the threat of unsettled weather is lurking from the west as depressions drive in off the Atlantic, meaning spells o

On this day 300 years ago a hurricane devastated a Spanish fleet off the coast of Florida. A convoy of 11 ships had set sail from Cuba, loaded with gold, silver and other treasures from Latin America, which were destined for Spain. The ships made smooth progress, following the Gulf Stream around the east coast of Florida. However, on July 29, 1715, the sea started to swell, the air grew increasingly humid and the sun became hazy. Experienced mariners knew trouble was brewing — a hurricane was drawing near and the following day their worst fears were realised.
“The sun disappeared and the wind

As the rains crashed down last Friday and Sunday, there was a feeling that we must be experiencing the wettest July on record. With July almost ended, rainfall across all regions has been above normal, but nowhere near record-breaking. Provisional figures from the Met Office from July 1 to 26 show that the whole of the UK had 78mm (3.1in); far off the record of 146mm (5.7in), which was set in July 2009.
It was hardly a washout month, but that is of little comfort to anyone on holiday in Britain or to farmers who have been struggling with their harvest.
The truly horrendous July was in 1828, w

Anyone going on holiday to the Mediterranean could be in for a shock. If you board an aircraft in the cool of the British summer, arriving in the sweltering heat of southern Europe — where temperatures are in excess of 30C (86F) — can take your breath away. At the other extreme, flying into the freezing cold of the Arctic Circle could be just as shocking to the system.
Such is the challenge of long-distance air travel. However, help may be at hand at Stockholm Arlanda airport, which has installed a Climate Portal — rooms that allow you to sample the climate of faraway places. The extremes of

The medieval times were full of tales of demons and monsters, and 850 years
ago the Devil himself was said to have been seen in Yorkshire during a
thunderstorm in August 1165. According to The Chronicle of Melrose:
“Many people saw the old enemy taking the lead in that tempest; he was in
the form of a black horse of large size, and always kept hurrying towards
the sea, while he was followed by thunder and lightning, and fearful noises,
and destructive hail.”
After the storm, the giant horse apparently left behind huge marks in the
ground. “The footprints of this accurs

The weather this month is becoming increasingly topsy-turvy. It began with the UK’s hottest July day on record and now it is ending in a blast of wind, rain and feeling so cool that temperatures have been more like October. The situation was worse in the Netherlands on Saturday; the country was hit by the heaviest July storm since 1901, with winds reaching 121km/h (75mph). Trains and trams were stopped in Amsterdam, while falling trees blocked roads and caused one fatality.
It may only be small consolation, but temperatures in central England are still just above normal, and rainfall is far f

Even on the hottest summer day, the temperature inside some clouds remains tremendously cold, down to minus 70C (-94F), and in a recent study, almost all the rain that fell in temperate parts of the world was found to have begun life as ice in clouds